Demographic Problems Most Pressing Issue for Bulgaria, Vice President Iotova Says

UPDATED Demographic Problems Most Pressing Issue for Bulgaria, Vice President Iotova Says

Vice President Iliana Iotova (BTA Photo)

Sofia,

06.10.2023 12:19 | UPDATED 06.10.2023 12:39

(BTA)

The demographic problems are the most pressing issue for Bulgaria, Vice President Iliana Iotova said during the discussion titled "Ready for the Future? The Demographic Picture - the Price of Inequalities" at the Sofia Event Center. The forum was organized by the Delegation of Bulgarian Socialists in the European Parliament.

Iotova stressed that demographic policy is a recognized and conscious priority for the presidential institution.

"We will definitely not wave the white flag when it comes to demographic problems. Now is the time to take measures," the Vice President said. "For me, security is at the heart of untangling the demographic knot that is tight around our necks. Security in all aspects," she added. Iotova pointed out that security is first and foremost social security, which she said cannot happen without left-wing politics.

"We believe in lasting and not piecemeal solutions," Iotova said. She noted that in recent years, unfortunately, politics have been merely PR without any substance. "Should we keep writing long and boring strategies or should we think about what are the real challenges of Bulgaria's demographic problems, discuss them and find the most credible solutions," Iotova asked.

The basis of a successful policy is to take into account the specificities of individual regions, Iotova said.

In her words, the territorial plans submitted by the Bulgarian Government do not in any way correspond to the Solidarity Transition Mechanism. In her words, the mechanism adopted in 2020 says that no worker or region should remain in a state of distress. The territorial plans sent by the Bulgarian Government do not meet this basic philosophy, she argued.

Demographics should be the new national goal for the country, a public, institutional and political consensus is needed, Sergei Stanishev, MEP (Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats) said during the discussion.

Stanishev noted that for more than 30 years Bulgaria has been in the top three countries with the highest negative natural growth. He said there should be a deputy prime minister for demographic policy in any future government, and that major prevention programmes should be undertaken in the country's 2024 budget. He pointed out that there are serious problems with demographic trends throughout the European Union (EU), but in Bulgaria the picture is far more worrying than the EU average. According to him, Bulgaria has become a labour donor, citing data according to which 27% of Bulgarians would emigrate abroad.

MEP Petar Vitanov said at the forum that one of the main problems is the lack of feeling that there are perspectives and security in all their shapes and forms - social, economic, etc. According to him, there is a need for a major political change.

/КК/